Last weekend I fulfilled a childhood dream: I witnessed an absolutely incredible performance by the Radio City Rockettes, right here in Nashville, at the Grand Ole Opry.

To say my mind was blown would be an understatement. But this tale deserves some prefacing….

Ever since I was a little girl, every Thanksgiving Day I would plant myself in front of the television to watch the parade. Though watching the parade has always been somewhat of a tradition in my household, there was always one performance I waited anxiously for: The Radio City Rockettes. Maybe it’s the elaborate costumes, or the precision of routine, but seeing the Rockettes every year, dancing flawlessly in the big-city streets, transported me out of my small-town suburban home into the bustling crowds of New York and holiday cheer, if only for a few minutes.

Call it an obsession. Call it a piece of ever-present childhood wonder. As you can imagine, I was ecstatic when I heard the Rockettes were HERE, in Nashville…

As a very grateful Chancellor’s Scholar, our scholarship program grants recipients a yearly “cultural enrichment” stipend to use, well, for culturally enriching activities! Some of my fellow Scholars have used the stipend towards going to see the Nutcracker ballet, experiencing a taste of the Nashville country music scene, and visiting the state botanical gardens—in my case, the choice was simple. I would use my stipend towards the Rocketts and memories to last a lifetime.

Okay, so I kinda-sorta like the Rockettes haha. And I’ve built up the show a bit. So how exactly was it?

Everything I dreamed and more.

The Opryland staff was extremely kind and accommodating, the Grand Ole Opry venue itself is absolutely extraordinary, especially during the holiday season, and the Rockettes exuded the elegance and opulence of everything I had witnessed on television for so many years…LIVE.

So, for certain, through and through, Vanderbilt indeed makes childhood dreams of the holiday season come true :)